Jason
Jason sat down and took a sip of much needed cold beer, due to recent events things have been quite busy.
Jason was appointed baby sitter for most of Olympus' army, making sure everyone was accounted for, not defecting, that kind of thing.
Nico has been put in charge of rallying an army in the underworld with his dad, that was a week ago and no one has heard what happened to him since.
While the rest of prophecy children are all running around doing any errand that were told.
Jason did get a small chance to catch up with Percy, the man he once considered an equal but now is out of his league in power.
Olympus held a memorial service for Annabeth and even put up a statue of her on Olympus, engraved and everything. Percy seemed to be doing better, when Jason was there with Piper she swear she sensed something coming off of Artemis when she was around Percy.
Jason figured it was aggravation considering she didn't like males, although she did give Percy the time of day.
Jason did thank the huntress, Percy seemed better when around her and she took the compliment with pride.
"Honey," Jason heard Piper call, they lived in small quarters so their parents could just call them and they'd be there in a jiffy, its no so bad considering he does sleep with Piper, yes in both ways you're thinking of but that's none of your business.
"Yeah Pipes?" He asked walking into the kitchen, although truthfully he was thankful for his girlfriend, she kept him sane when he wanted to drive his fist through a wall, whenever Jason hugged her all of his problems seemed to melt away, it was Elysium on earth.
But then there's Leo, Jason often thought about that crazy Latino, he wished he was able to see him once more, he always knew what to say to lighten the mood and even though no one would smile, he was happy Leo was around.
He kind of pissed him off they had nothing to bury of him, the last fuck you as it were from the earth Primordial was to take Leo with her.
Although he couldn't imagine what Percy and Artemis go through, being on the front lines of this war, while there isn't much battling with the occasional strike force back and forth, they still have a lot more to do than any of us.
Piper and him talked for awhile, eating dinner and saying some prayers for their friends and finally settling down for relaxing dinner, which half way was interrupted by a task his father issued.
They rushed to the throne room and quickly knelt in front of his father, "What can I do for you, dad?" His father Zeus waved some other demi gods away with orders and turned his attention to him, "We got word that Chaos will be sending an assault on the front, and they need extra support, You and Percy seemed to fight well together and so I'm sending you to him. Piper too." Jason and Piper perked up, excited they nodded and knelt again and left in a hurry to pack.
**
Percy
"Percy, good news" Artemis called up to him, Percy looked down from the branch he was perched, he had been keeping a watchful eye on the perimeter for a while now waiting for that assault, "Yeah! what's that Arty?" Within a couple of seconds the huntress was by his side smiling, "Your friends Jason and Piper are going to be joining us for reinforcements!" Percy felt really excited, yet really scared again.
Artemis seemed to catch on because put a hand on his shoulder, "We will not lose them, Percy...not like....well...not like we lost her."
"I lost her." Percy growled, lowering his head, "I was stupid and wasn't paying attention...its my fault."
It was quiet at first, but then "Percy...can I tell you a story.." Artemis whispered after a few seconds. Percy looked at her curious but she kept her eyes forward.
"Back with the whole Orion situation,"
*flash back*
Artemis
Artemis had let the new son of Poseidon stay with them briefly, He was an excellent archer and his hunting skills while still not as good as the queen of the hunt were still impressive...for a boy.
She crouched next to him in the bush he was sitting in, and followed his gaze to a deer that was twenty yards out in the distance, "I bet you couldn't hit him from here," Artemis smiled with glee knowing she could with her eyes closed, Orion grimaced and drew an arrow, notching it and pulling it back aiming at the deer, his breath steady as could be he let go the arrow, and it whizzed an inch over the animals head, it ran and Artemis smiled and chuckled pulling an arrow back, feeling the beasts foot step vibration through the ground, her eyes slowly closed and time for her slowed as her feet acted as receptors sort of as she judged accurately where the deer was.
Her senses told her the deer was mid jump over a rock, and in the split second she calculated wind speed, arrow speed, and landing zone and time of the deer, adjusting her aim a little to the right she slowly let her breath out and released the arrow and time resumed to normal as the arrow flew, they couldn't see the deer but they heard the cry of the animal and a thump of its body as it fell to the ground.
In astonishment Orion looked up at her, "How did you do that?" Artemis slung her bow over her back and walked toward the deer, "They don't call me queen of the hunt for nothing."
Seemingly aggravated Orion shook his head not accepting that answer, "Yeah but the deer was out of view behind this hill, you shot over it and hit it." Artemis enjoyed his envious anger, and decided to tell him a bit, "Hunting is a game of patience, boy, you must learn to use more than what is in your hands to hunt animals and beasts alike." After hiking up the hill the revealed beauty of the work of Artemis was shown on the other side as it lay out almost like a gruesome yet beautiful painting.
Orion marveled at it but none the less hoofed the deer around his shoulders and carried it back to the hunt for skinning and cooking.
**
Artemis returned to her hunt after leaving for an errand for her father the next day to find Orion and a huntress gone, "Where is the son of the Poseidon and Lorelei?" she asked her Lieutenant, she shook her head not knowing, "They left a couple hours ago for a hunt milady." Zoe replied back. Artemis had an uneasy feeling set over her and she flexed out her senses again.
this time she didn't close her eyes as she could almost see the vibrations in the ground, she ignored the waves that were her own hunters walking around camp and found a faint but constant wave come from the north, she honed in on it and an outline of a male figure sat dominantly over another smaller female figure, Her moves rash and violent.
Artemis pinned their location and Zoe recognized the look on her face as she ran with her toward the location, and behind a tree with some bushes revealed the worse there could be shown, Orion with his knee pressed against Lorelei's throat, keeping pressure on and off as she struggled for breath, he covered her eyes with one hand and tore her garb with the other revealing Lorelei's naked chest.
Zoe was in shock and couldn't move but Artemis wasn't as she dived toward Orion, wrapping her arms around shoulder and neck, she threw her legs over her head completely the somersault, picking up Orion and making him airborne, throwing him into a tree. She pointed one finger backwards ordering Zoe to attend to the traumatized hunter, but not letting her eyes off the horrible pig in front of her as he struggled to his feet, Artemis never let him get there doing a fly kick, her sensed told her she damaged a rib, she dropped and spun knocking his legs out from under him, and as he was side ways to the ground she clamped her arms around the leg that pinned her neck and snapped the shin bone in half, dislocating the knee cap for good measure.
He landed on the ground, the pain not yet fully hitting him, he put up a hand to block his face, the hand that tore the clothes off Lorelei, she snapped the wrist and grabbed hold of the index finger and pinky, snapping the pinky to the left and the index to the right, she took hold of the ring and middle crisscrossing them snapping the bones, she made for the thumb but Zoe wrapped her arms around the angry goddess and pulled her off as she continued the torture.
Her damage hit Orion and he screamed in pain and gushed blood, "Milady, breathe, please!" Zoe begged, Artemis threw Zoe off walking toward Orion who was crying, she picking him up by his lapel, "The Greeks have a punishment issued if you're caught of rape, I haven't had a chance to try it out." and She dragged him back to the camp.
The punishment she was thinking of was smashing his manhood between two stones
, (AN---yeah thats...thats actually what they did, lm not kidding)
but some of the younger hunters began to get scared of the huntress so Zoe talked her into a simple execution, unhappily she agreed and Orion was put to death, and from that day on, Artemis and her views of men changed forever.
***
Percy
"Huh..." Percy said, not really knowing what to say to that whole 'fun' situation. Artemis looked over a little worried, "I hope that doesn't put any fear in your heart for me Percy." Percy looked over, "Depends, would you ever do any of that to me?" Artemis returned her eyes to the forest, "Only if you left to join Chaos....I can't see you laying a hand on one of my girls, and if you did I'm 100% sure you would be under mind control."
Percy chuckled, "Good, that's how I know you're a true friend, if I did leave to join Chaos I'd probably need all that."
Artemis bumped him with his shoulder, "Well the point is...don't blame yourself for Annabeth, I'm a goddess and.." she took a shaky breath. Percy nodded, but turned his head to give her a smile, "You know, I wouldn't believe you're a goddess, being so human and all." Artemis laughed and they relaxed in silence, well Artemis did, Percy was still vigilant.
"Percy....can I take you somewhere real quick?" Percy looked over confused.
" What about the assault that's supposed to be coming." he asked, Artemis chewed on her finger, debating, but finally she took hold of her guardian. "It'll only be for a minute, I promise." and she flashed him and herself to a different forest.
This one was pretty though, there was grass and flowers between the trees, the moons silver light illuminated some of the night flowers, "Follow me, Percy." Artemis said as she walked up a small hill.
After a minute or so they broke through a treeline over a cliff with water crashing on rocks below, but what was the real marvel was the moon.
"I always allow the moon to be a little closer whenever I'm here, not too close it'll damage the earth but close enough it'll..well..-"
"Look beautiful." Percy said breathlessly. "What is this place?" Artemis turned and tucked her auburn hair behind her ear, "My favorite place on earth...I love coming here...I don't get to often but it's really where I feel..." Artemis made a silly face as she thought of a word to say. Percy walked past her and peered over the cliff, "At peace..." he finished for her again.
"Hey Arty...my father created everything right?" Percy asked, receiving a nod in return. Percy had an idea, "Come close to me," they both took a step closer and now were only a couple inches apart. Percy held his hands perpendicular to each other and felt his power began to strain, "Percy what-" Artemis began to say as shards of darkness began to cloud them in a orb.
Percy's eyes rimmed red, "I am the son of the creator, obey my command." He said to to seemingly no one, the shards of darkness fell away and Artemis gasped, as both their bodies went weightless in zero gravity, Percy's body was rimmed with red line, he took hold of Artemis' hand and the protective barrier spread to her protecting her from the dangerous environment of space. "Percy..." Artemis said not even really noticing the hand holding as she gazed around, Earth was below them, as the saw the lights of cities from the side the sun didn't cast it's light on.
They marveled at the cosmos before Artemis got a weird feeling, "Percy, the hunt!" Percy nodded and pulled Artemis close, "Grab hold of me." Artemis wrapped her arms around his neck and Percy held his hands like before, hoping his blush wasn't showing, shards of darkness appeared over them again and fell as they did before as they appeared back next to their hunters, who were battle ready and stunned of their return.
Percy and Artemis apologized quickly and asked for updates, "Thalia noticed you guys left so she was on recon, they are 5 minutes out." Zoe said. THey both nodded and Artemis barked orders and Percy held front line, Thalia and Artemis stood next to him both standing battle ready.
Soon enough a party of 200 appeared in front, all with helmets on hiding their face, one seemed to laugh as he stepped forward revealing his face, Percy's vision tunneled as his anger spiked, "YOU!" stood before him leading the enemy party was the Australian bastard who tortured his parents.
Before Percy could move He snapped his fingers and a pulse emanated from, it didnt affect Percy but his friends remained strained, other Huntresses fell from trees and out of their positions and were stiff bodied on the ground. "I heard this doesn't effect ya...well that's not problem since I got it upgraded," Thalia's armed hand began to move toward her neck, as did Artemis, the look of fear struck their eyes as they realized the situation. "NO! STOP!" Percy took a step forward, and the captor held up his hand.
"Take one more step and I'll have all of them killed." Percy froze in place, tears began to fall from his eyes as the Australian man walked freely, telling his army to stay put, "So you're the son of Chaos, eh?" I expected more from yeh honestly, As to why you won't join your own father well...that's beyond me, mate. Oh and by the way, He told me to come here and bring you in, so he can have you join him."
"I'd rather die than do that." Percy spat, the commander laughed and paced around Percy,
"Yeah I know you would, I know your flaw, however would you rather them die then join him?" He pressed one finger against the dagger at Thalias neck pressing the blade to her skin but not drawing blood. "So I propose to you a choice, allow your friends to die, and I'll leave your sorry excuse for an heir alone, or come home."
Percy looked at Artemis, she couldn't speak but her eyes pleaded the obvious answer, she would never want Percy to join his father.
But now.."I'm out of options aren't I..." He said out loud, the Australian man laughed.
"LET ME PROVIDE YOU WITH ANOTHER!" a familiar voice called from above, in the mass of two hundred enemy soldiers a figure dropped and a fiery explosion erupted from with sending the army of Chaos flying and the captain into shock having his control drop, chaos and panic spread as fast as the fire that began to consume the forest, and stepping from the flames completely unharmed and a wicked smile on his face, Leo Valdez.
He jerked his hands up in the air pointed two fingers in the air, "SUPREME FIRE RULER DRAGON RIDER IN THE HOUSE."
Percy did the logical thing, he sat on his butt with his mouth agape as Leo chased people down with swords of fire, a more than familiar metal dragon landed with a way more than familiar daughter of the Titan Atlas with a wicked smile on her face.
Percy jerked back to his senses noticing Thalia and Artemis were gone he fought his way around the battlefield searching for the both of them and finding them in a situation.
The Australian captain, his armor half destroyed, his face bloody and burned, Still had control over Artemis and Thalia.
"You may have weakened me, but I still am able to control these two...Percy Jackson." by this time the Hunt, Leo and Calypso rallied behind him, "Here's what gonna happen.." He said through gritted teeth, "You, son of Chaos are going to teleport me back to base with yourself, or I'll have these two killed, anyone even makes a move, starts a fire, or whatever, they die....Teleporting you and me back will end my control over these two, but if I even notice you're not coming with, it only takes one more little ounce of effort, mate."
Percy was tired of fighting and death, he was tired of losing people close to him he was tired of people close to him being in danger, Percy wanted to finish this with his father, once and for all.
"Fine, as you wish." Percy held his hands up and walked over, he turned and gave a nod to his friends and smiled at Leo and Calypso, happy to see one of his best friends alive and well, and walked up to the captain.
Percy placed his hands as he did before and shards of darkness formed around him and his enemy and himself, and fell away showing him in a throne room. "Welcome home my son."